The Abbott Elementary cast is getting a big pay bump for Season 4.
Quinta Brunson and the rest of the stars of the ABC hit comedy all renegotiated their contracts with Warner Bros. Television, which produces the series, Deadline reported.
According to Deadline, while Warner Bros. wasn’t contractually obligated to give the stars raises, it’s “customary” for actors to negotiate for higher pay after the second or third season of a hit show—and with its growing collection of trophies for the cast and creative team, it’s clear that they’ve earned it.
Find out how much the Abbott Elementary actors make per episode and how much their fees have gone up since the show’s first season premiered.
Related: Everything to Know About Abbott Elementary Season 4
How much do the Abbott Elementary actors make?
According to Deadline, the entire main cast—Brunson, Janelle James, Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter and Chris Perfetti—renegotiated their contracts for Abbott Elementary Season 4 and got major raises. Just how big are their increases? We’re talking “triple digits, doubling and sometimes tripling the actors’ previous paychecks,” Deadline reports.
William Stanford Davis reportedly also got a pay bump for Season 4, though his isn’t quite as substantial as the rest of cast: He was recurring in Season 1 and only became a main player in Season 2. As for the specifics? We’ll get to those in below.
Related: Where Is Sheryl Lee Ralph Now?
Is Abbott Elementary a success?
By just about every single metric, yes. It’s won numerous awards and has averaged more than 3 million viewers per episode.
How much does Quinta Brunson make per episode?
Because Brunson is a co-executive producer and writer of Abbott Elementary in addition to being its star, she makes considerably more than her colleagues per episode. Her producing and writing fees aren’t publicly known, but we know for acting alone, she makes between $350,000 to $400,000 per episode, per Deadline.
Related: How Quinta Brunson Supports Public Schools in Real Life
Abbott Elementary Cast Salaries
Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues
ABC
For acting alone as idealistic teacher Janine Teagues, Brunson takes home a per-episode fee of $350,000 to $400,000. For Abbott Elementary Season 4, which will have 22 episodes, she’ll make at least $7.7 million.
Tyler James Williams Gregory Eddie
ABC
Williams, who won a Golden Globe for his role, will reportedly make a cool $250,000 per episode of Season 4, amounting to $5.5 million total.
Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard
ABC
Ralph won an Emmy for her portrayal of Barbara Howard, and now she’ll get a raise for it too, taking home $250,000 per episode and $5.5 million total for Season 4 — right on par with Williams.
Janelle James as Ava Coleman
ABC
James will make $200,000 per episode for Season 4 as fan favorite Ava Coleman. That amounts to $4.4 million for the season as a whole.
Related: Friends Cast Salaries: How Much They Make Now and How Much They Raked In Then
Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti
ABC
Walter will make a per-season and per-episode fee on par with James for Season 4.
Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill
ABC
Perfetti will make $200,000 per episode and $4.4 million per season, giving him pay parity with Walter and James.
William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson
ABC
Davis, who stars as the overqualified and brilliant custodian Mr. Johnson, got a raise to $100,00 per episode for Season 4.
Which Abbott Elementary actors won awards?
The entire main cast of Abbott Elementary (Brunson, James, Perfetti, Ralph, Stanford Walter and Williams) won the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2023.
In terms of individual actors from the cast, Brunson, James, Ralph, Stanford and Williams have been the most decorated so far. Below are just the awards they’ve won —they’ve been nominated for a lot more!
Abbott Elementary Awards
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Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy (2023)
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American Film Institute Award for Top 10 Television Programs (2023)
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Critics’ Choice Award for Best Comedy Series (2023)
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NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series (2023 and 2024)
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Peabody Award for Entertainment (2023)
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Television Critics Association Awards for Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and Outstanding New Program (2022)
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Astra TV Awards for Best Broadcast Network Series, Comedy (2022 and 2023)
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Black Reel Television Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series (2022, 2023 and 2024)
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Black Reel Television Award for Outstanding Directing, Comedy Series (Matthew Cherry, 2023)
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Dorian Awards for Best TV Comedy (2022 and 2023)
Abbott Elementary Actors’ Awards
Quinta Brunson
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Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (2022)
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Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (2023)
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Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (2023)
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Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series (2023)
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ICG Publicists Award for Television Showman of the Year (2023)
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NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2023 and 2024)
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Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy (2022)
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Black Reel Television Award for Outstanding Lead Performance, Comedy Series (2023)
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Black Reel Television Award for Outstanding Actress, Comedy Series (2022)
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Black Reel Television Award for Outstanding Writing, Comedy Series (2022)
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Astra TV Award for Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy (2022 and 2023)
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Astra TV Award for Best Writing in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy (2022)
Related: Quinta Brunson’s Net Worth Revealed
Janelle James
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NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2023)
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Black Reel Television Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series (2022 and 2024)
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Astra TV Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy (2022)
Sheryl Lee Ralph
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Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2022)
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Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2023)
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Black Reel Television Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series (2023)
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AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Actress (TV/Streaming) (2023)
Related: Sheryl Lee Ralph 15-Minute Lemon Shrimp Pasta Recipe
William Stanford Davis
Tyler James Williams
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Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series – Comedy/Musical or Drama (2023)
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NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2023)
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Black Reel Television Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy Series (2022)
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Astra TV Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy (2023)
Related: How Much Money Do ‘SNL’ Cast Members Make?
